Cup final history in making at Seaview

Cup final history in making at Seaview

18 December 2013

KILMORE are intent on adding some steel to their play when they take on Albert Foundry in the Border Cup final at Seaview on Friday, December 27.

Fate has conspired against the club on the four previous times they have reached the Christmas showdown, but the time is now right to bring the cup to Robert Adams Park for the first time.

They first battled through to face Larne Tech Old Boys with a semi-final win over Dromara Village back in 2001, but they never got a chance to play in the final after it was discovered that they had unwittingly played an ineligible player in the earlier rounds of the competition.

The club bounced back from that demoralising exit and reached the final 12 months later, but they ran into Dee Heron’s unbeatable Killyleagh YC side who added the Border to the Steel and Sons Cup won a few days earlier.

It took Kilmore a few years before they were back in the final, but they made it to Wilgar in 2006, only to put in their worst performance of the season and went down 3-0 to Dunmurry Rec.

Managers Gary Kennedy and Paul Mullan led them to the final again in 2008, but this time they lost out 3-1 to an excellent Sport & Leisure outfit.

The following year Kennedy and Mullan masterminded the side’s glorious run in the Steel and Sons Cup when they beat Downpatrick FC 2-0 in the final to exorcise the ghosts of Christmas past.

With that monkey off their backs, there is nothing to stop Kilmore lifting the cup next Friday.

Albert Foundry will be playing in their seventh final — they have won the cup on three occasions and lost in three finals.

Their last appearance in the decider was back in 2004 when they were beaten 2-1 by Knockbreda. Their last win in the final came way back in 1962 when they beat Short Brothers and Harland 6-4.

Manager Mark Holland, who has enjoyed a highly successful career at Glentoran, Lisburn Distillery, Cliftonville and Killyleagh YC — he also won a Harry Cavan Youth Cup medal with Kilmore — will have his boys primed for the big occasion.

Kilmore’s route to the final has been pretty straightforward. They beat Bryansburn rangers 1-0 in the opening round before beating Dundonald 4-0 at Robert Adams Park. A 4-3 derby win over Killyleagh YC put them into the semi-finals where they accounted for Downpatrick in a 3-0 win at Seaview.

Albert Foundry have also had a tough time and they started with a 3-1 home win over Rosario. They followed this up with a 3-0 win over Dunmurry Rec and a 6-4 penalty shoot-out win over a good St. Patrick’s side sent them through to meet holders Crumlin Star in the semi-finals.

Albert Foundry pulled out all the stops against Star and again won through on penalties.

Kilmore are a side this season blessed with a plethora of outstanding players in every department.

Michael McKenna, who joined at the start of last season from rivals Killyleagh, should get the nod over former Ardglass goalkeeper Mark Armstrong.

He is an outstanding shot stopper, commands his area well and he is fearless when coming off his line to win the ball in the air.

The back four will come from a combination of Stephen Douglas, Sean Bell, Mark Miskelly, Johnny Cheevers, Jack Larkin, Aaron McGarry and Holland himself, if he is fit.

Douglas and McGarry are relatively recent Kilmore recruits having spent the past few years with Ballyvange and Downpatrick FC with McGarry also lining out last season for Ardglass.

These two can also play in midfield, but their best positions are at at full back as both love to get forward with Douglas more than handy with free kicks.

They should get the nod from Holland with Johnny Cheevers being joined in the middle by either young Jack Larkin or the experienced Mark Miskelly.

Midfield will also be a hotly contested area for starting places with Bell, McGarry, Peter Casey, Peter Telford, if he is fit, Eoin Curran, Karl Lewis, Eoin Boyle, Matt Hardy, Niall McCarthy and Joe McKinney all looking for starting places.

McKinney was at Glentoran last season and was widely tipped as a future captain of the Irish League giants, but he decided at the start of the season to play for his local team and he hasn’t looked back.

Up front Kilmore have in Philip Traynor one of the best strikers in the Amateur League. He can play up top on his own or he will be joined by Casey, Boyle, Lewis or Telford.

Traynor is the player Albert Foundry must stop if they harbour any intentions of winning the game, but that is easier said than done.

He has pace, ingenuity and a ferocious will to win. Throw in Niall McCarthy and Peter Telford’s power, Joe McKinney’s guile and Matt Hardy’s inventiveness and strength and you have some attacking outlet that will take some stopping.